Do you have the Spirit of Jabez?

How many of us have read our Bibles cover to cover?

How many of us have ever read the whole book of 1 Chronicles?

Well if you haven't, you have missed a blessing in chapter 4 verse 9-10.

In chapter 4, in the middle of endless names of sons and fathers, we see a man and his prayer to his God.

This morning we will be looking at this man “Jabez” or Hebrew “Ya-bates” he is the head, patriarch of a  Calebite  family.......

Verse 9-10) And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren:”—-this word honorable means to be “Possessing a high mind; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude or reputation”

Notice Jabez had a “higher mind” than his brethren. He had a higher “probity aka regard for morality and justice”

Another sense to this word is “to bear up under anything, to endure adversity.”

So what we can gather from Bible language dictionaries, Jabez was more moral, godly, just than his brethren and had endured great adversity without breaking.

Notice the verse finishes with “his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow”

So his name “Jabez” means “Sorrow”

Notice Gods Words telling us something quite special in these words.

Notice this Church, you should be or desire to be “honorable” like Jabez.

You should have a “higher” mind than the average professor of Religion.

You should have a higher regard for morality and justice than the average Christian in America today.

Just as Jabez was more “honorable” than his brethren, his kin.....

Just as he stands out contrary to the others, so should you this morning.

Church, we need Christians to walk in the Spirit of Jabez this morning.

The average American today has immoral corrupt life's and its spilling over into the Church.

Men and women are dressing dishonorably, talking dishonorably, watching dishonorable things on TV and listening to dishonoring things on the radio.

We have Christians compromising on homosexuality, abortion, divorce and becoming tolerant of general sin in their lives.

We have Christians who never read the Bible, who know more about the world than God.

Oh church, we got to have a spirit of Jabez in the churches of the last days!

We are called of God to be more “honorable” than the average person claiming to be a christian.

And you know what. That's gonna cause us some sorrow from time to time, that's going to cause us some adversity from time to time.

and that's okay, its a good and hard thing, to bear our cross for Jesus. Its a hard thing to embrace tribulation and adversity for his name.

If you desire to cultivate a christ-like life, a life that is honorable and pleasing to God.

Just know its going to be born in pain and sorrow as Jabez was born to his mother.

It cost christ great pain to save you, so much the Prophets called him “the man of sorrows”

it will cost you the same to follow him!

Verse 10) “And Jabez called on the God of Israel” saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Notice “Jabez called on the God of Israel”

Have you ever called on the God of Israel? Have you called on the name of the Lord?

When you were lost, there was a moment, where you were convicted of your sins,

convinced by the holy ghost of the truth of the Gospel and you “called” out to God,

you called out to Jesus and asked him to save you.

Maybe you've never “called on the God of Israel” maybe you are lost here this morning.

I encourage you today to consider the “God of Israel” this morning.

Consider the great salvation he offers you, if you’ll only believe on his son and call on him as Lord and savior.

Jabez prays to God asking him to “bless him indeed and enlarge my coast”

You should desire Gods blessing in life. In Jabez days, he wanted God to bless him fully and richly.

IN Jabez mind he would have asked for fertile wombs for his wife and in his family,

more sons and brethren to fight for him and ultimately lead to larger territories aka “ enlarging of his coast or borders”

You know, i got a taste of that Tuesday when i was told by our midwife that my fourth child in the womb is going to be a boy.

I felt like my “coast was being enlarged” another son to stand in the gates for me when I am old.

In Psalms 127 and 128 we see how a man was blessed in the culture of Jabez day.

This cultural blessings would have lead to great wealth, influence and military strengthen for the house of Jabez.

Jabez prays next that “Gods hand would be with him”

This is very important part of this prayer.

Without the presence of God a man can build nothing as we saw in psalm 127.

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

Jabez knows, if he tried to “enlarge his coast” of his family without Gods hand on him he would “labor in vain and fail”.

Even battles could not be won apart from the favor of God 1 Chronicles 5:18-22

Remember whatever is going on in your life “the war is of God” put your trust in Gods hand just as Jabez does in 1 Chronicles chapter 4:10 and the Sons of Reuben do in chapter 5:20

Next we see Jabez prays for God to “ keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!”

There are two ways to understand and interpret this verse.

In one way we see the father of this family praying and asking God “keep me away from Evil”

What Evil is referred to here? Well the days of tragedy and adversity that cause grief in the heart of a family.

but also we see a Father praying “lord keep evil” away from my heart, keep sin away from my heart.

We see both meanings in the word “evil” in the websters 1828 dictionary

“[Heb. to be unjust or injurious, to defraud.]

1. Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief. Some evil beast hath devoured him. Genesis 37:2.

2. Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation.

We should want evil people to stay far away from us amen, Lord keep them wicked men who want to hurt me and my family away!

But notice like Jabez, we need to pray for God to “keep” us from having “ bad qualities; mischievous; qualities which tend to injure, Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as  evil  thoughts;  evil deeds;  evil speaking; an evil generation.

If we as Fathers and Mothers do not pray for God to keep the Evil of the world away from our hearts......

Our sin, our hearts evil will fester out of control and devour our family, marriage and our churches like the “Evil” beast in Genesis 37:19

The Spirit of Jabez should be in the hearts of every christian and Church.

And the Prayer of Jabez should be on the lips of us all!